Essence No. 7 Neroli

A very unisex white floral that I acquired in a swap. I am really impressed with this Essence line and there are several others I'd like to get my hands on, especially No. 1 Rose and No. 10 Amande Tonka. I'm quite sure I'm forgetting others. Here's the thing about many of Elie Saab's perfumes. The nose is none other than Francis Kurkdijan himself. He has been the nose behind a few other brands, though the names escape me. I am certain I will be accused of blasphemy, and I certainly haven't tried everything from his own line, but based on what I have tried, I absolutely prefer his Saab creations. Maybe it's just a matter of not looking for novelty, or just tired of being beat over the head with ouds and gourmands, but for example, I really don't care for his most famous fragrance, Rouge 540, in the least. I do not consider myself to be an unsophisticated perfumista by any means, and I'm guessing I'm in the minority here, but I will take this Neroli and others from the line over Oud Satin Mood hands down any time.

Ooooooooh this was a delicious surprise... especially for a blind buy. I was immediately happy at first spritz. Light, bright, sunny. 10 minutes in: True, clean, deep, warm and humid... charming green floral with a very very slight eastern/attar/oriental vibe. Fairly linear, but does not have the generic citrus lift that so many neroli fragrances have. It is interesting, inviting, and weirdly sexy. 1 hour in: light and soapy with a musk edge. Gentle, airy but maintains its humid fresh floral quality. 3 hours in: clean skin scent. Neroli is still there, sending a sparkle out there to be noticed. This is a classier version of Ferrari Bright Neroli... similar from beginning to end, with the exception of Ferrari's Neroli having the vetiver (which I don't usually like but make an exception for)... I would say Essence No. 7 is true to the flower, and longer lasting. You can't go wrong with this one, and you can't overdo it either. Great stuff.

Funnily I haven't reviewed this frgrance before. It's probably my favourite of this Elie Saab exclusive line, together with Tuberose. This is a refined, rounded and very elegant version of an orange blossom scent. Not fresh, not mingling with citruses, it evokes the white flower as it smells on the branch of the tree. The drydown is to die for... the orange blossom merges into a creamy cedar and lasts for hours. Very apt for any occasion, it could easily be a wedding scent or an important springtime event. A bit on the expensive side and now very very hard to find, to me an essential one for neroli lovers.

Gorgeous realistic neroli opening that transitions into a (slightly woody) musk that clings to a whiff of the opening all the way down. Thankfully it stays far away from soapy territory for me (which is the downfall of many neroli blends I have tested). Lovely every step of the way. Strong for about an hour, and after that long lasting as a more personal scent. A favorite in warm weather.

I absolutely love this fragrance!! It is a very creamy neroli, beautifully blended. I would definitely layer this with my fragrances and I would wear this on its own as well!! I layered it with the no 9 Tuberose and it is an amazing combo!! Try it out